Arriving at university was a very different experience today. It was our first session with Will Alsop in his Hochbau Department. A group of nervous students sat waiting to be called into the studio space, the atmosphere quite tense. None of us knew what to expect or how the session was going to work. Once we were called I could feel my heart rate increasing as the reality of the situation came to light; the group squeezed into the small room with Will Alsop sat calmly smoking a cigarette. He smiled at the group and began to comment on the size of the group. He then asked for people to sign the registration list and as the list went around noticed a number of students who were not officially registered. Once the list had gone around he began to ask those that were not registered why they wanted to be in his class. He put these individuals on the spot and some managed to reply and others found the initial pressure of being under the spot light very difficult to handle. I was even more nervous at this point as even though we were registered he was exerting his authority and testing how people were reacting to this. The mood then changed as he explained that he would allow everybody that has turned up to the session to attend but he also made it very clear that if anybody wanted to leave they should. We then each in turn introduced ourselves and where we were from. When he heard he had three of us from Portsmouth University he commented that he remembered Niall and Paul from last year and that it was nice to have students from Portsmouth
After the introductions he began to talk to us about Fog, Illusion and Space. He began to discuss feelings and how humans experience places and how this can be affected by elements such as atmosphere. He then started to talk about Illusions and the range of these that have been produced in the past. He asked us to invent an Illusion, to test it and see if we can do something unique. He told us the task would be difficult as we would all fall into using past precedent but that our results of this task would then influence the next, as well as our focus and direction of our project work.
Will Alsop’s character and approach to teaching is something I have never experienced before and nerves slowly turned to excitement. His thoughts and ideas were all extremely clear, he spoke slowly and articulately, pausing often and keeping eye contact with his students. His ideas of experiences, how to explore ideas and the importance of being ourselves and to never loose this was inspiring.
The session then moved into us engaging and asking questions. I asked a few, mostly about his art and which individuals had been important influences for him. The momentum of the session was steady, a number of people sat quietly, others engaged and some sat with their notepad and pen. Overall the atmosphere that he generated and the attention he gave us, I believe was appreciated all around. His clear and steady approach and thoughtful answers and questions highlighted occasionally with a very direct statement was something I will never forget. I hope that I can grow and improve as a student and a person with his influence.
In the afternoon my mind was ticking over, reflecting on the morning session and the task at hand. I was feeling quite drained and had felt that I needed to get out and go for a walk. I took my ‘Urban Guide toVienna Donau Canal
In the afternoon my mind was ticking over, reflecting on the morning session and the task at hand. I was feeling quite drained and had felt that I needed to get out and go for a walk. I took my ‘Urban Guide to
Donaul Canal Legal Walls near Schottenring
